This invention relates to an article for affixing to items such as pencils and pens to create a decorative tag.
Ornamental articles in the form of stickers are well known in the prior art. Such stickers are typically formed from a suitably pliable sheet of material, such as paper or plastic, that has an adhesive layer on one of its sides. The adhesive is often covered by a protective backing sheet that may be peeled off to expose the adhesive. After removing the protective layer, the sticker may be applied to a desired surface.
Some stickers are configured to adorn specific surfaces or objects. For example, a wide variety of stickers in various shapes and sizes are used by manufacturers of goods to denote brand names and similar information. Likewise, bumper stickers are sized so that they can be applied to the bumper of automobile. Often these stickers include a political message or a statement of some type. Other stickers are used solely for decorative purposes. For example, it is popular among children to collect stickers that can then be used to decorate notebooks and other articles.
Typically, stickers are designed to be used on two dimensional surfaces. However, at least one patent discloses decorative stickers that can be used in conjunction with three dimensional objects. Specifically, U.S. Pat. No. 4,101,032 to Obidniak discloses a sticker for use on packages and the like. The sticker is formed from a pliable sheet of material that is shaped so as to represent a fanciful character. One surface is printed with a corresponding fanciful character. Two elongated armsxe2x80x94each having a hand-like shape at their endsxe2x80x94extend from the body of the ornamental article. Each hand-like portion includes a means to affix the ornamental article to a package. When applied to a package, the ornamental article looks as though it is holding the package.
The sticker described in Obidniak is not designed to fully wrap around an article so that portions of the sticker may be attached to one another to form a decorative tag. Instead, the entire surface of the sticker is solely applied to the article that it decorates. This prior art sticker can be used in combination with an article that has a relatively small circumference so that when applied, portions of the sticker extend away from the article. However, because the sticker is not symmetrical, its opposite sides do not align with one another. Thus, the gummy surfaces of the sticker are left uncovered and the general appearance of the tag is poor.
Other stickers are known in the prior art that are designed to be wrapped around or affixed to a surface that is not flat. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 3,994,085 to Groselak et al. discloses a baggage tag assembly formed from a single continuous sheet of material. The tag can be fastened to the handle of a piece of baggage by means of adhesive which allows the tag to be affixed to itself. This invention does not disclose a tag that is non-movably attached to an object. Rather, the tag in Groselak can be moved laterally along a baggage handle and can be rotated as well. Furthermore, as with Obidniak, because the sticker is not symmetrical, it cannot be used to create a flap that projects from the article.
Thus there is a need for an ornamental adhesive blank that can be used in conjunction with articles such as writing instruments and the like to form a decorative tag.
It is thus a general object of the present invention to provide an ornamental adhesive blank that is suitable for decorating a pencil or other similar article.
A more specific object of the present invention is to provide an ornamental adhesive blank having decals connected together by a bridge, where the decals mirror one another so that they may be evenly aligned when the sticker is applied to an article.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an ornamental adhesive blank that is configured to display an image blank.
It is another object of the invention to provide an ornamental adhesive blank that is simple and inexpensive to manufacture.
Thus, according to one embodiment of the invention, an ornamental adhesive blank of pliable sheet material is provided for decorating an object having a central axis and a circumferential surface area. The ornamental adhesive blank comprises a central bridge portion having first and second ends. A first decal is coupled to the first end of said central bridge portion. A second decal is coupled to the second end of the central bridge portion. The second decal is formed in the shape of a mirror image of the first decal. Thus, when the second adhesive side of the central bridge portion is wrapped about the circumferential surface area of the object, the second adhesive sides of the first and second decals contact one another to form a two-sided ornamental decal offset from the central axis of the object.
The above description sets forth rather broadly the more important features of the present invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be understood, and in order that the present contributions to the art may be better appreciated. Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for the purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended claims.